After circling around each other for several more exchanges.
Xia Tong's gaze sharpened as he finally settled on a battle plan.
He would bear the pressure head-on and draw the enemy's attacks.
The Godrick Soldier would wield his crossbow and move along the flank, waiting for an opening.
Unfortunately, the Crystal Barrage he had just learned was useless at the moment.
With Xia Tong's current mental state, his meager Focus Points could not even sustain three shots. Forcing it would only make him collapse from mental exhaustion on the spot.
His left hand tightly gripped the thorn-covered Shield of the Guilty.
The shield seemed to possess some unusual quality. Simply holding it made Xia Tong's mind clear, greatly improving his concentration.
In his eyes, the Erdtree Guardian, once swift and fierce, suddenly became easy to follow. Every move had a discernible pattern.
After repeatedly sidestepping several heavy slashes, Xia Tong deliberately widened the distance.
It was the perfect shooting window for the Godrick Soldier.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
As expected of a battle-hardened veteran.
The Godrick Soldier seized the opening and fired three arrows in succession, each one accurately avoiding the heavy golden plate armor.
The bolts struck at tricky angles: the Guardian's knee joints, a gap in its back, and one even hit its throat.
Yet the results were minimal.
Or rather, against such an inhuman monster, physical piercing damage was almost negligible.
An ordinary creature of flesh and blood would have been spurting blood by now, but the Erdtree Guardian showed no reaction at all and continued swinging its weapon.
It seemed the monster's insides had already been completely turned to wood.
If it was wood, then this would be easy.
Xia Tong decisively tossed aside the Lordsworn's Greatsword, then pulled a torch from the outside of his pack and lit it with a whoosh.
With the lighter torch in hand, Xia Tong immediately felt far more nimble.
Shielding his chest with the shield in his left hand and raising the torch high in his right, he nimbly dodged the Guardian's stiff thrust.
Before the enemy could recover from its previous motion and gather new strength, Xia Tong forcefully poured the rest of his mental power into the Shield of the Guilty.
At that moment, he shot forward like a cannonball leaving its barrel!
Bang!
A dull impact rang out. The massive Erdtree Guardian was actually knocked off balance by the blow and crashed to the ground.
Xia Tong did not hesitate in the slightest. He immediately lunged forward and pinned its torso beneath his body.
He viciously pressed the blazing torch against its wooden face.
Sizzle, sizzle—
The moment the tiny wooden tendrils on the Guardian's body touched the flames, they ignited with a sudden flare, crackling loudly.
The fire quickly grew, spreading along the grain of the wood and engulfing its entire body in an instant.
The Godrick Soldier followed with perfect coordination. He discarded his crossbow, drew his sword, and plunged the blade into the arm holding the sword-spear with both hands, firmly pinning it to the ground.
The Erdtree Guardian opened its charred mouth and let out a hoarse shriek like dry wood grinding together.
But before the raging flames, struggling was futile. The fire only burned hotter.
A moment later, all that remained on the ground was a curled, blackened husk.
A trace of Rune energy drifted out and flowed into Xia Tong's body. Sixty-three points.
It was not much, but it was better than nothing.
With that roadblock dealt with, Xia Tong's group reformed their formation and continued climbing toward higher ground.
Since the road was a continuous uphill slope, they could not move very quickly.
To prevent ambushes from suddenly springing out of the roadside grass, Xia Tong did not recall the Godrick Soldier.
He jogged along the way, vigilantly guarding the rear.
The mountain paths on the peninsula were rugged and difficult, but after more than an hour of trekking, they finally reached the middle of the mountain range.
An open, gentle slope appeared ahead, and the road immediately became much easier to travel.
The Pilgrimage Church at the top of the slope was drawing closer and closer.
But at that moment, a sickeningly sweet scent suddenly drifted through the once-fresh mountain breeze.
Xia Tong instinctively turned to look behind him.
He saw a vast stretch of strange giant flowers blooming across the rolling slopes in the distance—the Miranda Poison Flowers.
And in the center of that sea of flowers, a faintly glowing Crystal Tear floated silently.
Even from so far away, Xia Tong could clearly see its alluring radiance.
It was a Faith-Knot Crystal Tear.
Xia Tong merely glanced at it before immediately looking away, not the slightest greed stirring within him.
The reason was simple. Several giant Miranda Poison Flowers, each as large as a small hill, clustered around the tear.
He was exhausted, low on supplies, and in no condition to provoke those monsters. Doing so now would be no different from courting death.
More importantly, he lacked powerful long-range fire attacks. Charging in with nothing but an ordinary torch would be suicide.
Besides, what use did a warrior with no Faith bonuses have for a tear that could only increase Faith by ten points?
Fortunately, those giant Miranda Poison Flowers were not on the main road they had to take.
Xia Tong did not dare delay. He patted Torrent's rump, signaling it to pick up the pace, and charged toward the mountaintop.
At the same time, Xia Tong rang the Spirit Calling Bell and returned the Godrick Soldier, who was beginning to fall behind the horse's speed, to the Spirit Ashes.
Yet despite their caution, the commotion Xia Tong's group made still disturbed the smaller Miranda Poison Flowers lurking along the road ahead.
Their buds bloomed, and dark green poisonous spores instantly filled the air.
Xia Tong inwardly cursed. He instinctively wanted to tear strips of cloth from his clothes to make simple masks.
But he was wearing standard-issue armor, and he could not tear off even a shred.
In his urgency, he looked at the girl in front of him.
"There's poisonous mist from the Miranda Poison Flowers ahead. We have to cover our mouths and noses! Miss Irina, may I borrow some cloth?"
Irina gently nodded. Without the slightest hesitation, she forcefully tore open the fabric at her sleeves and ripped off two strips.
Xia Tong took the strips and quickly dampened them with the last of the water in his pack.
He handed one to Irina and held the other tightly over his own mouth and nose.
Fortunately, as a Spirit Steed, Torrent was not seriously affected by poison mist of this level.
As they drew closer, Xia Tong finally saw the roadblocks clearly.
The smaller Miranda Poison Flowers were only about as tall as an ordinary person's legs, and the buds atop them were not particularly large.
But their numbers were troublesome. As if they had conspired in advance, they densely covered the slope leading to the Pilgrimage Church.
The giant Miranda Poison Flowers in the distance made Xia Tong's heart tighten even more.
They possessed enormous fleshy blossoms and stood nearly twice Xia Tong's height.
The poisonous fog around the giant flowers was so dense it seemed tangible, like a green canopy blocking the road.
Xia Tong patted Irina's shoulder, signaling that she absolutely had to keep her mouth and nose covered.
Torrent beneath them also seemed to sense the urgency and charged forward at full speed.
Unfortunately, this slope of poisonous flowers was simply too long.
Even after breaking through the blockade of dozens of poisonous flowers, they still had half the distance left ahead.
At that moment, the entire sea of poisonous flowers seemed to be enraged, boiling into action.
Xia Tong's scalp tingled as the sense of danger from being targeted surged within him.
Silver, glittering threads of magical power began continuously appearing in the air around them.
Whether giant or small, the pistils deep within every Miranda Poison Flower began to glow with dangerous light.
Xia Tong abruptly looked up.
Countless pillars of light seemed to have eyes, relentlessly tracking his path.
The light pillars continuously formed behind him, growing from thin to thick before exploding with a roar.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Explosions erupted in a continuous chain behind them, sending dirt and grass flying.
Torrent displayed astonishing agility, performing an extreme double jump and narrowly avoiding the deadliest wave of chained explosions.
But while they were airborne, the shockwaves still reached them. The two riders and horse staggered upon landing, nearly collapsing into a heap.
"We can't slow down! Torrent, faster!"
Xia Tong shouted anxiously as he grabbed a large handful of Rowa Raisins from his pack and stuffed them into the Spirit Steed's mouth without hesitation.
He sharply noticed that fine beads of cold sweat had already formed on Irina's forehead, and her face had turned unnaturally pale.
Even with her mouth and nose covered, trace amounts of poison had still seeped into her body while moving through such dense toxic mist.
They had to get out as quickly as possible!
Torrent chewed up the raisins, erupted with strength once more, and sprinted another stretch forward.
At last, the density of the Miranda Poison Flowers around them began visibly thinning.
The life-chasing pillars of light behind them also grew fewer and fewer.
When fresh air and a reassuring green meadow finally appeared before them, Xia Tong felt as if he had just walked out of hell.
As the terrain gradually leveled out, Xia Tong looked at the clear sky in the distance and the peaceful mountain meadow nearby. He knew they were finally safe.
He hurriedly nudged Irina in front of him, only to find the girl limply slumped against his chest, giving no response.
Before you continue